Beautifully Bright Black Holes

Black holes - pools of gravity so powerful that even light can't escape them - remain some of the most mysterious objects in the universe. Yet, though black holes themselves are invisible, the matter around them is not. In fall 2014, Henric Krawczynski, professor of physics at Washington University in St. Louis, will use an instrument called X-Calibur to study two "beautifully bright" black holes visible from Earth's northern hemisphere. By measuring the polarization of X-rays emitted from material near the black holes, X-Calibur will help Krawczynski and his colleagues investigate questions that have perplexed scientists since Albert Einstein first proposed his Theory of General Relativity.

*Correction from the podcast audio: X-Calibur will launch from New Mexico, not Arizona.

About the Author

Claire Gauen works on publications and digital outreach initiatives in Arts & Sciences. She is the managing editor for the Arts & Sciences weekly newsletter, the Ampersand, and research podcast, Hold That Thought.